- PROJECT : Retracting building design & installation
- SECTOR : Utilities
- LOCATION : Derbyshire
When water and in particular sewerage operations are set up, it requires a complex arrangement of supporting facilities including chemical dosing, filtration and pumps, all of which require wires and pipes.
Generally this equipment is mounted a pre-prepared substantial concrete base, usually made just big enough for the plant and equipment which is on it. We were asked to design a building which would allow overhead access for cranes to maintain and replace key plant items, protection from the elements for this equipment and to provide undercover weatherproof facilities for maintenance crews to have good working conditions to keep the plant in good order.
One of the problems with such a densely packed site, is that there is no room to fix anything to the ground so to overcome this we installed two low level gantries which could then be clad and mounted a retracting building to the runways which could be moved up and down on rails to allow cranage in to maintain the plant and then be easily pulled back into place to continue to protect the installation.
This is a good example of combining our expertise in craneage with buildings to solve a problem and indicates how our thought processes work to achieve the best outcome.
